to make that decision. Just for me, personally,
I probably look at signs in more detail, and be
like ‘ok, things don’t feel right’ instead of just
‘grow up, and get out there’ I’ll probably be
looking at it more and go, ‘nah, it’s ok, come
in, you don’t have to be a hero’.”
Despite his close call, Mike Hoile is also
adamant that killing sharks is not a solution,
and that the shark net program on the Gold
Coast is possibly doing more harm than
good to our marine ecology. Given his recent
encounter with the shark well inside the nets,
it presents a whole new question regarding
the effectiveness of the shark nets and drum
lines. There hasn’t been a recorded fatality on
a Gold Coast beach since their introduction
in 1963, but Mike questions at what cost the
protection, or at least the perception of safety,
for swimmers and surfers has come.
“
There’s just too much marine
life out there ... to stick nets and
drumlines out in it - Mike Hoile
We’re sitting on the 22nd floor in Mike’s highrise
unit, on the balcony when he casts his eyes to
the horizon and notes what he perceives is the
impact of shark nets on the marine life “If you look here right now, looking out in the
water from my balcony, we can’t actually see
in this immediate moment any marine species
whatsoever. I can see a beautiful blue ocean,
but I can’t see anything (alive) however if I was
at Lennox, it’s very likely I would see a dolphin,
whales, turtles, fish ... it’s just on the edge of an
absolute marine paradise out there.
“There’s too much marine life out there, in my
opinion, to stick nets and drumlines out in it.
Whether it would actually help or hinder the
situation, well that’s a debate that could go on
as well. It’s just too much marine life there to do
it, and the area’s too wide. They could possibly
Mike Hoile as seen from below, as a shark might
view him or any other surfer. Recent attacks and
encounters have happened at all times of the day
and in all conditions - clear and murky. Maybe we
really don’t know what provokes a shark to bite
surfers at all // Photo Luke Sorensen